Cleveland Launcher XL Halo Irons

[Bernoulli]

First post and question! I have read every comment on this thread and found all of you to be a great source of information. I bought the TaylorMade Stealth HD irons a little over a month ago. They have been a mixed bag for me so far. Last week I played in a family and friends scramble and gave my sister in law’s Halo 8 iron a few swings on the range and compared it my 7 iron (didn’t want to run back to the bag for my 8i). I immediately noticed that they felt better, went higher, longer, and straighter on every hit. Straight shots were just about automatic as opposed to what I’ve been getting from my HD irons. The difference was pretty obvious I had to scratch that itch so I bought a set of Halo irons which just arrived today. I haven’t opened them yet as I noticed on the box they were manufactured in 2021. Would anyone know if their have been any changes to the Halos in 2022/23 or would these be the same as if I bought them this year?

Welcome to THP! I hope you enjoy your new Halo irons.

 

[thebigkahuna]

Great, thanks! I’m eager to compare them on the range tomorrow.

 

[SC Putter]

First post and question! I have read every comment on this thread and found all of you to be a great source of information. I bought the TaylorMade Stealth HD irons a little over a month ago. They have been a mixed bag for me so far. Last week I played in a family and friends scramble and gave my sister in law’s Halo 8 iron a few swings on the range and compared it my 7 iron (didn’t want to run back to the bag for my 8i). I immediately noticed that they felt better, went higher, longer, and straighter on every hit. Straight shots were just about automatic as opposed to what I’ve been getting from my HD irons. The difference was pretty obvious I had to scratch that itch so I bought a set of Halo irons which just arrived today. I haven’t opened them yet as I noticed on the box they were manufactured in 2021. Would anyone know if their have been any changes to the Halos in 2022/23 or would these be the same as if I bought them this year?

Welcome to THP. I see your question was answered earlier this evening. I look forward to hearing some feedback. Taking mine out for another range session tomorrow.

 

[SC Putter]

How are you guys feeling about the stock graphite shafts on the Halo Irons? Feeling ok or too light? Just curious. They were too whippy for me to start and as I thought I might grow into them and I did as a sr golfer.

Had some range time this afternoon. It was hot but no excuses. Only about 35% were solid shots. But the good ones were sweet. I think I'm pressing and just not allowing the club to do the work. My only option is to be patient. I have to remember these are my first set of graphite shafts and sr flex. Think I just need to play and forget the range at this point.

 

[Carolina Golfer]

Had some range time this afternoon. It was hot but no excuses. Only about 35% were solid shots. But the good ones were sweet. I think I'm pressing and just not allowing the club to do the work. My only option is to be patient. I have to remember these are my first set of graphite shafts and sr flex. Think I just need to play and forget the range at this point.

It will come, you are adjusting to them. It took me about 6+ months for them to feel good/normal. The first few weeks, I was thinking of selling them. I'm glad I didn't.

Also, I have said this before. A firmer ball seems to go better with these. It adds more feel. I liked the Velocity. But, I now prefer a shiny yellow ball; like the zstar.

 

[SC Putter]

It will come, you are adjusting to them. It took me about 6+ months for them to feel good/normal. The first few weeks, I was thinking of selling them. I'm glad I didn't.

Also, I have said this before. A firmer ball seems to go better with these. It adds more feel. I liked the Velocity. But, I now prefer a shiny yellow ball; like the zstar.,

Thanks CG. Appreciate the support, It will come around . The other thing I'm doing is pushing the ball. Checked my alignment and it appears correct. Could be my hand position at impact.

 

[Thrillbilly Jim]

I didn’t have a great day with the Halo irons today. Just never got into a groove. I’m curious about putting heavier graphite shafts in these?

 

[Grand Stranded]

Thanks CG. Appreciate the support, It will come around . The other thing I'm doing is pushing the ball. Checked my alignment and it appears correct. Could be my hand position at impact.

The Halos are an odd set. They are very upright, and the shafts are longer than those on normal irons. I had the same issue as you with pushing them, and my yardages were all over the place. (mostly shorter than expected).
Unless you had a similar time trying to adjust to your t-rails or Pings, these probably just aren’t right for you. Give them a little more time, but don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole either.
@Carolina Golfer struggled with adjusting to the lighter more flexible shaft, but I doubt that’s your issue. If it was, you’d be hooking these.
They say it’s the Indian not the arrow, but imo that’s bs… sometimes it’s the arrow

 

[SC Putter]

The Halos are an odd set. They are very upright, and the shafts are longer than those on normal irons. I had the same issue as you with pushing them, and my yardages were all over the place. (mostly shorter than expected).
Unless you had a similar time trying to adjust to your t-rails or Pings, these probably just aren’t right for you. Give them a little more time, but don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole either.
@Carolina Golfer struggled with adjusting to the lighter more flexible shaft, but I doubt that’s your issue. If it was, you’d be hooking these.
They say it’s the Indian not the arrow, but imo that’s bs… sometimes it’s the arrow

Thanks SC lefty. My Ping GMax irons are green dot 2* up. So I wold think the Halos might be at least 1* up. The first range session was pretty good. Have a golf trip to Santee SC in a couple of weeks so maybe an on course round will reveal something. I really want these to work but will probably never part with the ping irons.

 

[rlb4]

The Halos are an odd set. They are very upright, and the shafts are longer than those on normal irons. I had the same issue as you with pushing them, and my yardages were all over the place. (mostly shorter than expected).
Unless you had a similar time trying to adjust to your t-rails or Pings, these probably just aren’t right for you. Give them a little more time, but don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole either.
@Carolina Golfer struggled with adjusting to the lighter more flexible shaft, but I doubt that’s your issue. If it was, you’d be hooking these.
They say it’s the Indian not the arrow, but imo that’s bs… sometimes it’s the arrow

Wouldn't being more upright cause one to pull them more?

 

[SC Putter]

Wouldn't being more upright cause one to pull them more?

Yes--toe up.

 

[Grand Stranded]

Wouldn't being more upright cause one to pull them more?

In theory, yes, but as I said these are an odd set. The lies are upright , they have longer shafts, and I didn’t mention the lack of offset. I’m not trying to say they’re a difficult club to hit, but I am saying there are a lot of aspects about them that might make them a bad fit for a lot of players.
Let’s be honest, Cleveland has been releasing versions of this club for about 10 years now. If they were as automatic as some pretend they are 90% of golfers would be bagging all hybrid sets by now. I’d bet the percentage that do is under 5% though.

 

[Grand Stranded]

Yes--toe up.

That’s assuming the head is delivered in the proper position though. If the face is open, guess which way the ball will go?

 

[boggyman]

In theory, yes, but as I said these are an odd set. The lies are upright , they have longer shafts, and I didn’t mention the lack of offset. I’m not trying to say they’re a difficult club to hit, but I am saying there are a lot of aspects about them that might make them a bad fit for a lot of players.
Let’s be honest, Cleveland has been releasing versions of this club for about 10 years now. If they were as automatic as some pretend they are 90% of golfers would be bagging all hybrid sets by now. I’d bet the percentage that do is under 5% though.

75% of that 90% are scared of their ego though as to not bag this style of iron unfortunately. Properly fit, this style of iron would help lots of folks! I’ve played several sets of this style of iron. Still have a set of W/S Launch Pads in 4-SW with steel Px 5.5 , 1/2” short, 2* upright, in a backup bag.

 

[LLIB]

Just ordered a short set of these since they’re only $85/club. I’m tired of making the game harder than it needs to be. I’ll probably be adding an 11 wood and 30* hybrid. Zero ego here

 

[Grand Stranded]

75% of that 90% are scared of their ego though as to not bag this style of iron unfortunately. Properly fit, this style of iron would help lots of folks! I’ve played several sets of this style of iron. Still have a set of W/S Launch Pads in 4-SW with steel Px 5.5 , 1/2” short, 2* upright, in a backup bag.

Agreed.
Don’t take my comment as me putting them down, I’m giving reasons why someone MIGHT have issues with them. I think they’re a great set of irons. I’ve bagged them and recommended them to my buddy.
Full disclosure… if I were to ever buy a backup set, it would probably be these.

 

[boggyman]

Agreed.
Don’t take my comment as me putting them down, I’m giving reasons why someone MIGHT have issues with them. I think they’re a great set of irons. I’ve bagged them and recommended them to my buddy.
Full disclosure… if I were to ever buy a backup set, it would probably be these.

No harm no foul!! Your post was well taken. I’ve recently bagged the T Rails but didn’t get along with them unfortunately . Sold them off. As much as I tried to make them work, just couldn’t. The Cleveland’s, all the way to the OG HI Bores were all great to me. For now, I’m back to my old faithful small headed blades, they just flat work for “My”swing. I’ll always have the Pads as a backup plan though. #alwayssearching

 

[Nicknacker]

Unless you had a similar time trying to adjust to your t-rails or Pings, these probably just aren’t right for you. Give them a little more time, but don’t try to fit a square peg in a round hole either.

I'm in total agreement. I say play with them more than once, but if you go out a few times to hit with them and they aren't working well for you, try something else. I would say if it takes you more time than a few to "get used to them", you're probably having to change your swing to adjust (which could be a bad idea). I hit with them twice (about an hour each time, so a lot of balls) and they didn't perform any better than my current Ping G710s so they're no longer in my bag. My expectations were too high.

 

[thebigkahuna]

So I compared my Stealth HD and new Cleveland Launcher Halo irons on the range this weekend. They both have the stock graphite regular shafts. I compared the 9, 7, and 5 irons. I also hit 5-Gap wedge on the Halos the last couple of days. I have not used them on the course yet but I am eager to do that soon.

They are both excellent super game improvement irons but the Halo’s were a pretty clear winner for me and my swing. That is not to say that others wouldn’t find the HD’s better for their swing. For me, the difference between the two grows the longer the iron. The 9 irons were fairly similar in ball height, distance, and accuracy but I feel I am able to swing a little smoother with the Halo’s, maybe the 8 gram counter balance helps with that, I don’t know but they just feel smoother and easier to swing on all the irons. The difference was more noticeable with the 7 and 5 irons. I hit some toe and heel shots with both irons but the Halos covered my mistakes better. For now, I’m leaning towards keeping the Halos but not without using them on the course first.

 

[SC Putter]

That’s assuming the head is delivered in the proper position though. If the face is open, guess which way the ball will go?

You are correct and there is minimal offset.

 

[SC Putter]

75% of that 90% are scared of their ego though as to not bag this style of iron unfortunately. Properly fit, this style of iron would help lots of folks! I’ve played several sets of this style of iron. Still have a set of W/S Launch Pads in 4-SW with steel Px 5.5 , 1/2” short, 2* upright, in a backup bag.

I agree Boggy. I do not have a golf ego. I will play what works regardless.

 

[SC Putter]

So I compared my Stealth HD and new Cleveland Launcher Halo irons on the range this weekend. They both have the stock graphite regular shafts. I compared the 9, 7, and 5 irons. I also hit 5-Gap wedge on the Halos the last couple of days. I have not used them on the course yet but I am eager to do that soon.

They are both excellent super game improvement irons but the Halo’s were a pretty clear winner for me and my swing. That is not to say that others wouldn’t find the HD’s better for their swing. For me, the difference between the two grows the longer the iron. The 9 irons were fairly similar in ball height, distance, and accuracy but I feel I am able to swing a little smoother with the Halo’s, maybe the 8 gram counter balance helps with that, I don’t know but they just feel smoother and easier to swing on all the irons. The difference was more noticeable with the 7 and 5 irons. I hit some toe and heel shots with both irons but the Halos covered my mistakes better. For now, I’m leaning towards keeping the Halos but not without using them on the course first.

I feel the same. I need to play a few rounds and then evaluate. Frankly I never have been a good range/practice player. Hitting too many balls at a fast pace. Rapid fire on the range. LOL. I try to give new irons a minimum of 6 rounds and more if I see steady improvement. I'm a long way from giving up on these puppies.

 

[Hacker67]

In theory, yes, but as I said these are an odd set. The lies are upright , they have longer shafts, and I didn’t mention the lack of offset. I’m not trying to say they’re a difficult club to hit, but I am saying there are a lot of aspects about them that might make them a bad fit for a lot of players.
Let’s be honest, Cleveland has been releasing versions of this club for about 10 years now. If they were as automatic as some pretend they are 90% of golfers would be bagging all hybrid sets by now. I’d bet the percentage that do is under 5% though.

I've seen plenty of folks hack away with these clubs, you still need to put a somewhat proper swing on them. They're by no means magic clubs.

I just hated the feel or lack of feeling from them on the shorter clubs.

Honestly, I think my PING 430 irons are more forgiving than the Halos especially when it comes to MOI and dispersion.

 

[SC Putter]

I've seen plenty of folks hack away with these clubs, you still need to put a somewhat proper swing on them. They're by no means magic clubs.

I just hated the feel or lack of feeling from them on the shorter clubs.

Honestly, I think my PING 430 irons are more forgiving than the Halos especially when it comes to MOI and dispersion.
[/QUOTE
I agree as there are no magic clubs and a decent golf swing is the key. I think I have that part as a consistent ball striker. Just looking for added launch. Not concerned about gaining distance as I play to what the club will give me. Just have to be sure to take an extra club when needed.

 

[Grand Stranded]

I've seen plenty of folks hack away with these clubs, you still need to put a somewhat proper swing on them. They're by no means magic clubs.

I just hated the feel or lack of feeling from them on the shorter clubs.

Honestly, I think my PING 430 irons are more forgiving than the Halos especially when it comes to MOI and dispersion.

I’m so happy with my E722’s I haven’t demoed the 430’s (or anything else released this year), but two of my friends bought them and won’t stop raving about them.
BTW couldn’t agree more with your comment about your club’s having more MOI and better dispersion. I feel the same way about my Tour Edge.